Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to wind turbines and more particularly to a system and method for commissioning wind turbines.
Wind turbines are used to generate electrical power from wind energy. Multiple wind turbines may be coupled together to form a wind farm. Wind farms are typically coupled to power grids. Commissioning of each wind turbine in wind farms is a multi-step procedure. Initially, a pre-commissioning acceptance test is conducted that includes a de-energized inspection of the wind turbine components of the wind turbine. Subsequently, a field commissioning acceptance test is conducted on the wind turbine in which an energized testing of the wind turbine components is performed. In the next step, a converter commissioning test is conducted on the wind turbine in which an energized testing of a power converter is performed. As a last step, the wind turbine is configured to generate power for validating a power curve before the wind turbine is finally coupled to the power grid.
The field commissioning acceptance and converter commissioning test may be conducted by various methods depending on an availability of the power grid. In certain situations, when the power grid is unavailable during the commissioning of the wind turbines, the field commissioning acceptance and the converter commissioning test may be conducted by coupling a diesel generator to the wind turbine. The diesel generator acts a power source and provides power to the wind turbine for the energized testing.
Once the field commissioning acceptance and converter commissioning test is completed, the wind turbine is configured to generate power for validating the power curve. An intelligent load bank is coupled to the wind turbine to dissipate the power generated by the wind turbine for a predetermined period of time during the validation process. Such conventional commissioning procedures include costs for leasing the diesel generator, leasing the intelligent load banks and transportation of the diesel generators and the intelligent load banks to each test wind turbine. These costs lead to higher commissioning expenses. Therefore, there is a need for an improved system and method to address the aforementioned issues.